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The
control box is constructed from 1/2" MDF and 1"x1"'s. With a #8 countersink
bit, wood screws, putty, and some sanding, the screws were concealed nicely. |
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The
basic shape of the control panel was cut from a sheet of 1/2" MDF. The MDF was laid
over the lexan to allow me to score the basic shape (I didn't have proper power tools for
cutting the lexan without chipping and destroying it). the lexan was then clamped between
the control panel MDF and a scrap piece of MDF so I could drill the holes for the controls
through both the MDF and lexan without the lexan vibrating too much and therefore
cracking. |
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The
lexan after I unclamped it from in between the MDF. The odd shaped hole in the center is
for the trackball
which has a rather odd protrusion. I was still weary of sending any saw through the lexan
sandwich since all the other holes were done and it would have been a shame to destroy the
control panel now. So I drilled a slew of holes outlining the basic shape. |
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The completed control
panel.(I covered the MDF with black marble contact paper from the local hardware store.
The sheet of lexan made for a nice artificial marble finish). All the screws from the
joysticks and trackball (32), as well as the buttons (22), secured the lexan to the
MDF.The edges are protected by 5/8" t-molding which slightly protrudes over the top
surface of the lexan (which is ideal since I vividly remember laying out quarters on the
old arcade control panels to claim my right to the next game). It also will serve to
protect the children around my household from cutting themselves on the edges of the lexan
since it is well concealed now. |
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The wiring mess under
the hood. Most certainly not my cleanest work, but all the connections are good. The two
circuit boards that everything ties into are the I-PAC and the Opti-Pac. The I-PAC connects to the PC's
PS/2 port and handles all the key generation depending on which switch is hit and
the Opti-Pac connects the trackball
and spinner to the serial port,
which allows me to use the trackball as a mouse in windows. I mounted a 12v lamp under the
trackball (since it is translucent). This is powered by the PC's power supply and gives a
cool blue glow. |
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The 27" TV I
purchased for $200 at Wal-Mart. I originally had planned on a 25", but I am sooo glad
I got the 27". It fits nicely in the cabinet and provides a good screen size for
games. The TV weighs about 80lbs which meant it had to be supported firmly. The framework
is complemented by 3" castors, which now that the cabinet is finished and VERY heavy,
I am glad I installed. The TV is supported firmly and has the perfect angle for gameplay.
I will probably use some plumbers tape or other strapping to hold it firmly vertically and
horizontally. |
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At this point I had
enough to test drive it. It also gave me a chance to make adjustments regarding the height
of the framework in respect to a standing player. I am about 6'2" so I was
contemplating raising it up a bit, but after having my nephew Jesse stand up next to it, I
could see that the height was just about perfect. I'd have to get barstools for myself and
other adult players. |
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The sides were cut from
5/8" MDF. I attached two 4'x8' sheets of 5/8" MDF and cut both sides at the same
time (the 1/2" MDF I used on the control panel seemed too flimsy for the overall
shell which would basically shear the framework). The next task was to attach the
2"x2" ledgers which would be used to secure the rest of the panels. It is
encouraging though to see a silhouette |
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Here is a shot of a more
complete shell. The silver line on the top of the TV is a galvanized steel strap used to
hold the TV in place. There is also a vertical strap which is concealed at this point. I
also mounted the coin door. Although the control panel has two green buttons next to each
players start button for coin insert, I still wanted an actual working coin mechanism. I
also plan on adding a keyswitch next to the control panel to lock out the insert coin
buttons and force people to use quarters (That's all this really is anyway, on big-ass
coin bank, and hey...I gotta get SOME of my investment back) |
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Since daylight savings
time basically flushed any chances of me getting any work done during the week in daylight
(It began getting dark at 5:00pm right before I get home from work, this was not only
demotivating but sucked all together), I had to resort to working in what little free
space I had in the garage. In this shot I have attached the monitor bezel using four small
strips of velcro to the ledgers (seen in the previous image). In the event I had to
replace the TV, I wanted it to be somewhat less complicated to remove. |
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After a whole lot of wood
putty, sanding, two coats of sealant and two coats of paint...the finished product. The
exposed edges of the wood was covered with 5/8" t-molding. The sound is provided by a
standard set of PC speakers/subwoofer. I decided to seperate the base of the speakers and
protrude it through an opening below the marquee. This was importnant since it provides
volume/treble/bass control without accessing the sound control panel in windows. I used
the leftover lexan from the control panel to create two square pieces to sandwich my
marquee between. The marquee is backlit with a 24" fluorescent light and is held in
place with the marquee retainers I purchased from Happ Controls. The cabinet is powered by a single pushbutton located in fromt of the
control panel which is wired to the power terminals on the motherboard. .When the PC is
powered up, a set of 12V leads from the power supply which would normally go to a hard
drive or cdrom activate a relay which sends 110VAC to a power strip that powers the TV,
speakers, and marquee light. This provides a one-button powerup and a full shutdown of all
electronics when the PC is powered down. In the 'Links' section I have included a link to
the website that I got this method from. |
